Listen to this articleGearLaunch was founded with the goal of leveling the playing field for independent online retailers. By systematically white-labeling all of the proprietary systems of the largest and most successful marketplaces and placing them in the hands of independent merchants, GearLaunch single-handedly invented the category of E2E commerce.
Below is our intervew with the founder and CEO Thatcher Spring:
Q: Tell us something more about The GearLaunch platform?
A: The GearLaunch platform includes guided storefront website builders, a full suite of digital marketing tools and an array of proven, US-made products that can be customized/printed-on-demand to a retailer’s specific target audience. Most products ship within 48 hours and are supported by GearLaunch’s in-house customer service – a critical component of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Q: How exactly does it work?
A: As an end-to-end (E2E) commerce platform, GearLaunch houses all business-critical tools within a cloud-based platform that is accessible from any computer anywhere in the world. To get started with GearLaunch, an online merchant must simply log in to create an account, review GearLaunch’s “virtual tradeshow” of customizable products and select an assortment that is best targeted to their intended customer audience. The merchant can then engage GearLaunch’s suite of digital marketing tools and begin selling. An array of online training tools and a live merchant support team are also available to help merchants to fine tune and scale their operations.
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Q: How does GearLaunch offer a unique advantage to independent online retailer entrepreneurs?
A: As the economy evolves and many traditional retail opportunities come to an end, the brave new world of ecommerce is rapidly unfolding. GearLaunch represents a new wave of technology tools that simplify the process and take the mystery and capital requirements out of the process. Online entrepreneurs with a keen retail instinct can use GearLaunch to build stable, scalable and highly profitable businesses.
Q: Why is it important for merchants to find products for their customers rather than customers for their products?
A: The commerce world has changed. New product and accessory merchants and designers no longer need to rely on established retailers to bring their ideas to market. Online markets spans the entire world and shelf space may as well be infinite – making it easy to offer any number of customers a wide variety of products. And yet that is not the winning strategy for e-commerce entrepreneurs.
Mega retailers – Macy’s, Walmart, Target, etc. – already have this covered, as well as the marketing dollars to ensure that everyone knows it. Ecommerce entrepreneurs simply don’t have the budget or rapport to create generic products for mass consumption. Rather, they’ll more likely find success in customizing products for a smaller audience that shares a specific interest, i.e. a niche market.
Additionally, niche and custom products benefit from better pricing (inelastic demand allows higher markup), fewer inventory hassles, and reduced competition.
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Q: What major trends to you see in the online retail and social commerce market and how will GearLaunch respond?
A: Consumers have grown accustomed to the high level of service provided by large, deep-pocketed online retailers. Short shipping times, high-quality products and responsive customer service now represent the minimum level of expectation. GearLaunch will continue to provide its merchants with the means and tools to compete and thrive in an environment of escalating consumer expectations.
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